Clay-press attachment



(No Mo'del.)

G..W. MGFARLAND.

CLAY PRESS-ATTACHMENT.

Patented Aug, 16,1881.'

NTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE IV. MCEABLAND, OF BRANDYWINE SUMMIT, PENNSYLVANIA.

CLAY-PRESS ATTACH M ENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 245,649, dated August 16, 1881.

Application filed February 9, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE W. McFAR- LAND, of Brandywine Summit, Delaware county,Pennsylvania,haveinvented Improvements in Clay-Press Attachineuts, of which the following is the specification.

My invention relates to that class of apparatus employed for the purpose of retrieving` the surplus water from the slip in preparing clay for the manufacture of earthenware articles.

rlhe object of my invention is to facilitate the manipulation of the parts ofthe apparatus, as well as reduce the expense of making the latter.

In the drawings, Figure l is an elevation, in part section, of a clay-press illustrating my improvements, and Fig.2 is an enlarged view of part of the apparatus; Fig. 3, a perspective view, showing a modieation.

What is technically called the press consists of a series ot' boards, A, separated to leave intervening spaces io receive the bags B, each of the latter consisting of a sheet of canvas doubled and folded at the edges.

Heretofore it has been customary to provide each bag with a metal nozzle connected thereto, and also fastened to a flange at the upper edge of one of the boards A', the slip or clay solution being fed to said nozzle through a stationary pipe eXtendin g over the press. rIhis construction results in the consumption ot' considerable time in placing the bags in and removing them from the press. The whole arrangement is clumsy, and it is diftieultto manipulate the bags, whether filled or empty.

I make the press of any suitable number of boards A in the ordinary manner; but in place of fastening the nozzles G to the leaf I make each nozzle with two flanges, b b', sufficiently separated to receive between them the'partin gpieces a a, as shown in Figs. l and 2 of the accompanying drawings. The end of each nozzle below the iange b is threaded and provided with a nut, d, between which and the flange b the bag is clamped, as shown. The upper end of the nozzle is arin g, and adapted to receive the conical end of a tubular branch, D, projecting from the horizontal pipe E, into which the slip is forced by a pump, as usual. Each branch is provided with a cock, f, which may be turned so as to permit or cutoff the iiow through the pipe A rubber ring, g, may be carried in the mouth of the nozzle C, or around the end of the branch D, so as to aid in closing the joint between the branch and the nozzle.

By the above construction the operations of the press are greatly facilitated, for the pipe E and its branches are permanently fixed, requiring no manipulation, while each nozzle may by a single movement be tightly connected to or removed from its branch, and each nozzle, with its bag, may be inserted between the leaves of the press or withdrawn, thus affording an opportunity of washing the bag or removing the contents.

Owing to the fact that the pipe E and its branches are stationary the apparatus costs much less than when the pipe and branches are composed of separate pieces, as heretofore.

In order to compensate for the shrinkage of the press the pipe E may be divided, threaded at the ends with threads running in opposite directions, and provided with a screw-coupling piece, J, the turning of which will effect a longitudinal adjustment of the nozzles requisite to bring the latter in proper posit-ion. In place of this each branch may be an L-shaped elbow capable of swinging to a slight extent, as shown in Fig. 3.

I claiml. The combination, in a clay-press, of a stationary main pipe, E, provided with fixed or movable branches D, and bags B, provided with metal sockets having' iiaring mouths adapted to receive the ends ot' the branches, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with the pipe E and its branches, arranged above a clay-press, of an adjusting device, J, lor the purpose set forth.

3. The combination, with the bag B of a clay-press, of a nozzle, C, having a iiange, b', and nut d, for clamping the bag against said iiange, and provided with a mouth adapted to receive the end of the branch D, and-with a packing, g, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof Ihave signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subroo scribin g witnesses.

GEORGE W. M CFARLAN D.

Witnesses: I

W. S. MANLEY, SARAH ANN FRAME. 

